manners

[Drew McDonald]

I returned to the sport of fishing about 3 years ago after a 20 years lay off due to work, I lived in Scotland then and was an avid trout and salmon man, what puzzles me here in England is the fact that when someone has a fish on nobody reels in their lines to avoid a tangle with the other persons fish, I have seen it happen a few times on the carp puddles when someones fish has made a run,it has been obvious to me that the fish was running towards where someone else has a float bobbing on the surface but still no one reeled in which resulted in a giant tangle and two rather angry fishermen both swearing at each other,this could have been avoided if someone just showed a bit of common sense and manners.I do realise that when fishing the puddles that there are usually so many fish being caught that you may well have your terminal tackle out of the water more than in but I still think you should reel in, especially when you can see someones fish making the run in your direction, am I being too polite here, should I just do what nearly everybody else does and just keep fishing oblivious to the other anglers.

 

[Eric Hayes]

Drew I fish rivers for Barbel and Chub most of the time and I`ve found that most anglers fishing down stream from you will more often than not reel in if the fish is taking line and heading for there swim, likewise I would do the same and if necessary offer my assistance with netting.
I don`t fish many commercial waters and most of the true river anglers I know ain`t to keen on them, maybe the true river angler is a different species.

 

[Carp Angler]

Can you enlighten us as to what a true river angler is then Eric?

 

[Eric Hayes]

Well carp imho it`s a male or female angler that fishes the river in preference still waters, only turning to still waters during the closed season. Hope that helps.....

 

[David Will]

Eric which camp are you in, close season or no close season on rivers ?

 

[Eric Hayes]

Dave I`m for the Closed season, but moving it would be a good idea, from March to June to say end of November to the end of February, this is also the best time for decorating

 

[Dave Johnson]

Eric, I class myself as more river than stillwater biased, and I can assure you there are plenty of inconsiderate 'river anglers'.
The amount of meat tins left on the Severn, rubbish stuffed in rabbit holes etc.
Last week for instance after priming a peg with hemp and caster for hours, two idiots arrived on the opposite bank of the Dove , miles from anywhere with no one around for bloody miles and they both try to fish the run I had fed for my late evening session. I politely informed them what I had done-but they couldnt comprehend what I was trying to achieve etc.....
I'm afaraid regardless of water preference, there is inconsiderate fools amongst them all.

 

[stu black]

I fish both rivers and 'puddles' and i will alwys reel in if someone elses fish is going to cross my line because i cant bear t5he tangles it causes! i would say that most inconsiderate anglers i meet these days , casting into my swim etc are on the 'puddles' but thats only because i rarely see another angler on the river stretches i fish.

 

[Eric Hayes]

Dave J, yes fools are found on most walks through life but Like I said I`ve only fished commercials on a few occasions and in my opinion most of the people I meet on the river seem more dedicated to the sport and considerate towards the environment, don`t get me wrong like everyone I`ve seen some right sights left after some anglers have finished, but what I haven't seen yet is angler`s blatantly throwing rubbish into bushes like it`s a normal thing to do or a angler laughing with his mates at the sound a fish makes whilst struggling on the paving slabs that surrounding the lake, I`m sorry to have to say but that was witnessed at a local carp match pool on one of the occasions I visited with my son. There is one thing to be said about the commercials noone`s going to throw a leg shager in your swim, most of them don`t let you on if you`ve got a dog with you unless your visually impaired.

Stu you may be right if more people fished the rivers my views may change....

 

[Jim Hinchley]

Im firmly in erics camp on this subject. However im quite happy to see commercial fisheries doing well and people bagging up on them cause whilst their doing that they arent on the river anywhere near me. Unfortunately with the angling press and the time of year ( summer ???) we see more anglers on the riverbank who dont have the rivercraft, manners and enviromental awareness that others have learnt.
I always find that come november the rivers suddenly become devoid of bivvies , bite alarms , litter and stripey deckchairs !!

 

[Carp Angler]

"rivercraft, manners and enviromental awareness"
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............

On one of my last trips to the river after barbel last year, the swim immediately above me was visited by a 'river angler'.
Did he have any of your 3 attributes?
Let's see.
Rivercraft, well he must have had loads of that, as he was a member of the Barbel Society (BS badge on his floppy hat)
Manners, loads of that, as he was happily conversing with his mate 3 swims away.
Environmental awareness, bags of that, he had an ACA badge on his waistcoat.

He then deposited 8 pints of hemp all the way across the river in a haphazard fashion.
(well haphazard to me, but what do I know about catching barbel)

Manners?
They're about as common as people taking the protective slime off of barbel on their stripey deckchair T-shirts and standing up whilst holding them for photo's............

 

[Jim Hinchley]

Rivercraft and environmental awareness dont come courtesy of badges or club membership as you seem to suggest. They come from experience , understanding and ethical behaviour.

 

[Dave Johnson]

I sense a constable from the B Police.....

lol

 

[Eric Hayes]

I understand what jim`s on about, it does get a lot quieter in late Autumn and Winter when you have snow coming of your tip ring the mud is waste deep and any Anglers you do meet talk about flooding and blanks, but usually they are the same blokes week after week they are in my opinion devout river anglers or they could be just plain daft. In Spring and Summer the angling press is awash with stories and pictures of big Chub & Barbel so you get more of the Playstation attitude going on, people see the pictures and think I want one of them.
Jim don`t knock the deck chair mate, I`ve seen a nice green one with big yellow aspidistras on the cushion at the local garden center, its one of those that if you lift the arm rests the back drops down and the front comes up bloody amazing, I`m looking at ways of fitting it with mud feet P

 

[John Pleasance]

I do wish the butterfly anglers out there would realise that some of us actually like fishing in winter time, if you dont want to put up with a few hardships from Nov to Feb then that's fine with me, it makes for a lot more bankspace for me,but please lay off with the suggestions to move the close season just cos it don't fit with what you want to do.

 

[Eric Hayes]

John I`ve been fishing the river since I was six years old with my brothers and late father winter and summer, it`s got nothing to do with butterfly mate, more to do with decorating and the fact that at the time when the river is imho at it`s best we can`t get on.
I suggested November/February because again imho this is the time of year the ground is wetter and the river is in flood more.

 

[Paul Williams]

I've actually moved away from one area of the lower Severn because of self proclaimed river experts.....and i'm sorry but they do seem to be in uniform..and those hats!
My peace on the last sesion i had at the place was shattered by a loud voice moving along the meadow.....peering over the bank i saw a "river expert" shouting down his mobile......he then walked up to my swim skylined it and proceeded to try to hold a loud conversation with me....i say tried because he didn't get much response.......he then settled in the next swim dropping a huge baitdropper feet from where i had fed a downstream swim......i could never ever fish that close to anyone on a near empty river my manners wouldn't allow it.
I'm sorry if i upset anyone but the guy was "a well known barbel angler".......not my words but those of the BS themselves.
Steve.....if you are reading, perhaps a code of practice would be a good thing for all groups to issue?......i know most don't need it, but just for the ones who need educating?.....after all not everyone is as easy going as me and the Severn runs deep!

 

[andrew jackson]

I am sorry guys but this stereotyping is just the thing that gets right up my nose. Ignorance is a symptom of todays society, you can see it any place you care to look. An idiot is an idiot, it does not matter what branch of our sport they chose. All this true River anglers this and Barbel experts that, is realy annoying. There is no such animal, we are all induviduals who just happen to be anglers. If an induvidual choses to fish for barbel and to be a member of the barbel society, that's his/her perogative. But if that induvidual turns out to be a complete idiot, that is no reflection on barbel anglers or the barbel society. By the same token vice versa is also true, Rivers anglers do not have the monopoly on manners and enviromental awareness. This attitude is rife in our sport we hear it all the time, match anglers are this, barbel anglers that, why does this attitude exist in our sport?

 

[Carp Angler]

Andy,
I think that's the point that any sane person could see that either myself or Brummie were trying to get across.

River anglers can be missing manners too.

As you say, all branches of the sport have idiots in their ranks.
I used to think it was pureley the reserve of the carper to act like an idiot, because the rivers I fished were deserted and I had no comparison.
Nowadays, quite a few of the rivers I fish have others fishing them and I'd suggest that the river angler is no different to the carper/matchmen/tencher/breamer in the respect that their discipline also has it's fair share of complete baboons.
Most of them are not with deckchair either, they tend to be replete with designer gear.

 

[Paul Williams]

Andrew,
Of course it's no reflection on the Barbel society....but the point is that the idiots "join up" display the badge...the PAC too... and therein lies the twist!
The thread is about manners we can only comment on what we have experienced and bad manners aint just found on pasty waters
and if discussion makes just one of those who need to learn manners sit up and take notice then it's worthwhile.
If one of these clowns is wearing a badge...be it BS, PAC, CS.....or SAS it would be nice to be able to say to them "Excuse me but thats against your groups policy"......either that or throw the bas...d in for wrecking my hard earnt day off!!!!